Infertility: Factors That Affect Treatment Success

Topic Overview

Infertility treatment success is defined as the birth
of a healthy infant.

Major things that affect your chances of conceiving and carrying a
healthy pregnancy with or without treatment include maternal age, how long you
have been trying to conceive, and the cause of infertility. For more
information, see the What Happens section of the topic Fertility
Problems.

Infertility clinic success rates vary depending on:

The doctors' skill and
experience.

How many couples with severe
infertility problems a clinic chooses to treat.

The average number of treatment cycles per couple performed at the
clinic.

The cause of infertility and a woman's
age.

Ovulation problems (not including those
related to advanced age) are the most successfully treated cause of
infertility.

The age of the woman's egg supply greatly impacts her
chances of conceiving, carrying, and delivering a healthy infant. From her
mid-30s into her 40s, a woman's chances of pregnancy with her own eggs decrease
while her risk of
miscarriage increases.

The
success of treating other causes of infertility depends heavily upon the type
and severity of the problem.

Some couples complete many cycles of infertility treatment before
they conceive or before they and their doctor decide that the treatment has
failed. Before you start any treatment for infertility, discuss it with your
doctor and set reasonable time limits for yourselves.

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